Start of Lay Ministry Adviser

Location

York, North Yorkshire | United Kingdom

Job description

As a diocesan family, we are renewing our commitment to our vision and goals. We are putting fresh energy into Living Christ's Story, and delivering strategic programmes focused on our aims: becoming more like Christ; reaching those we currently don't; growing churches of missionary disciples; and transforming our finances and structures.

Growing and renewing Lay Ministry lies at the heart of Living Christ's Story. This role is an opportunity to make a significant contribution to the initial formation of lay ministers as part of that wider strategy. Significant work has taken place during 2023 and this post will enable that work to be deepened and developed. During 2023, we have appointed the Head of Lifelong Learning, an LLM, as Warden of Lay Ministries. This signals the importance of holding the support and development of that community by a Lay Minister. We are growing a team of Vocations Advisers who are committed to spotting the treasures of potential Lay ministers in our Diocese. We have held the first Diocesan celebration of Lay ministries service in York Minster.

This role will involve you in collaborative working within this emerging team who, together, will oversee the journey from vocation, through discernment and initial formation to deployment and support for lay ministers. Your role will be to focus on the initial formation by developing and growing the programme for initial formation for a range of lay ministries which began in Autumn 2023.

1. To develop and extend the Deepening Discipleship Programme (DDP) which is a vehicle for the formation of Authorised Lay Ministers in the Diocese. This work is embedded locally and uses adult education methodologies rooted in group work and in supervised ministerial practice. Much of this echoes learning from previous formational programmes as well as from that used within our Mustard Seed mission work.

1. To develop an IME 1 pathway for Licensed Lay Ministers. From Autumn 2024, and for a season, we have chosen to disconnect our LLM formation programme from the necessity to have a Higher Education qualification. We are developing an LLM pathway which will usually involve completing a year of DDP and will then learn using similar styles for a second year before being admitted and licensed as an LLM. There will be an expectation of post-licensing formation.

1. To develop informal learning for Lay Church Officers: To explore how best we might co-ordinate and develop learning for Churchwardens and other lay church officers.

1. To contribute with others to post authorisation work for ALM and for LLM some of which may be locally delivered and others of which we signpost to regional and national resources.

Job tags

Salary

£19.06k - £38.11k per annum